Formed by the executive order of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1942 in order to deal with the growing threat of superhuman menaces from the Axis powers, CHESS has been the front line of defense for the United States for over seven decades.  During that time, the organization has undergone revisions and upheavals, just like any other government entity.  The CHESS seen in the Villains and Vigilantes rulebook (for the sake of ease, I won't bother reprinting it here) was a product of its times, but times have changed, and the department has changed with them.

The first major shift in the organization of CHESS came about with the end of the Cold War in 1992.  With the dissolution of the Soviet Union came a new wave of superhuman threats, as Soviet super-tech and superhumans were suddenly "liberated" from government control.  The tech often made its way to the open market, and the superhumans found their services in high demand by those willing to pay the price.  This led to an increased threat level in the United States and Europe, and the United States government was quick to respond with the invention of giant mecha that could be used to combat major threats when the various superteams of the world were otherwise occupied.

The creation of the mecha coincided with the reworking of the ranks and divisions in CHESS.  It was determined by the Clinton administration that dividing the organization between male and female agents was an outmoded concept, and one that had contributed to a certain level of inequality in the agency despite the best efforts of the two leaders.  King Homer Grimsby retired, and rather than replace him with another man, the "King" and "Queen" positions were consolidated into a single "King". Former Queen Alexandria Huntington took over in the King position.  The Queen designation was given to the mecha, following an offhand comment by a retiring Grimsby that the giant machines were "The most powerful pieces on the board".

Shortly after Grimsby's retirement, the new King encountered her first challenge when the robotic "pawns" used as decoys turned rogue, causing death and destruction on a massive scale, and nearly spelling the end of the agency as a result.  Their behavior was quickly traced back to a CHESS technician who was secretly on the payroll of Intercrime.  The pawns were indefinitely shelved, though they will still occasionally be used in extreme circumstances, and only under constant supervision.

In 1995, as part of a deal made with the opposition party in control of the House, President Clinton further streamlined the agency.  The "Pawn" designation was now assigned to the lowest level employees, the administrative assistants, basic grunts, field trainees, and low-level analysts and technicians.  Rooks, Knights, and Bishops remained the same.

The most recent change to CHESS came in 2002 when their agency was transferred from the control of the Treasury Department to that of the Department Of Homeland Security.  Funding for the department was increased dramatically, and they were given a specific directive to create more subdivisions in order to analyze and approach specific threats.  Using the chromatic scale, CHESS created the following divisions.

White

"Knight Carruthers, call for backup!  And stay away from the damn monster's tail!  Everyone else fall back, and aim for the head of the thing!  We have to stop it before it gets downtown!"
 
The public face of the Central Headquarters For Espionage of the Secret Service, CHESS White agents are the first responders to metahuman threats. 

Violet

"Incoming communication from Orbital Platform Alice.  They can't see Pluto.  We're either looking at a technical malfunction, or The Correllian Alliance just broke their treaty with us, and they're sending one of their larger and deadlier  'diplomatic missives'.  Guess which one I'm thinking it is."

Violent division deals with extraterrestrial menaces.  They tend to be underfunded until their services are called for, at which time they are generally given access to every bit of technology that the organization can provide.  Their operatives have a reputation for falling into one of two camps: The "Nerds", who grew up on Star Trek and Star Wars and tend towards starry-eyed optimism, and the more secretive and conspiracy-minded "Mulders", who are often seen as paranoid.  This division tends to have excellent relationships with Green division (below), constantly sharing information and new scientific breakthroughs.

Indigo 

"So it's me, the new Bishop who goes by 'Gemini', and a handful of Knights going up against this kid who listens to too much Death Metal.  Overkill, right?  Then he starts chanting in ancient Sumerian, a mist starts appearing--always a bad sign--and we see the forms of what looks to be the first line of about a hundred chaos demons.  Call Red Division?  Hell, no.  My boys have faced down worse."

Investigators of psychic and paranormal phenomena.  Those who investigate psychic claims and abilities tend to be given some leeway, but those who take an interest in the occult tend to be underfunded and given a wide berth.  Possibly the most diverse group within CHESS, though some sort of eccentricity seems to nearly be a prerequisite to joining.

Blue 

"Listen, Your Highness.  Down there, you may style yourself as the rightful ruler of the Seven Seas, but up here, I'm the Captain of this vessel, and what I say goes.  Considering the fact that there isn't a nation on this Earth that recognizes your government, you have a choice: call off the attack fleet, or spend the rest of your life in a holding cell in the desert, far away from a single drop of ocean water.  You have ten seconds to decide."

Formed in response to a terrorist group attempting to ally itself with Atlantean radicals, CHESS Blue works in concert with the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard to deal with potential menaces coming from the 70% of the Earth's surface that is covered by water.

Green 

"I'm aware that you requisitioned the flying car.  However, considering the fact that the last few that you used were returned to us looking like industrial art instillations, the King's office agrees that it might be time for you to try something a bit less impactful to our budget.  What would you say to a snappy motor scooter?  Something with rockets?  And lasers?  We'll even throw in a jet accelerator, though if you use that feature, I can't recommend a helmet strongly enough."

Scientific and Technological Research.  They have a largely undeserved reputation as mad scientists, when in reality, they tend to be button-down professionals.  Well, okay, there are a few operatives who fit that bill, but it's overstated as a trend.  And the fact that an entire laboratory disappeared from HQ in Washington, D.C. only to reappear in Topeka, Kansas the following week was an anomaly.  As was the accident that gave that one agent his superpowers.  And that other one.  And that other...you know what?  Let's just move on.

Yellow 

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Training division.  Anyone who wishes to become a CHESS agent passes through Yellow Division, and even the most experienced operatives have found it helpful to take an occasional refresher course.  All agents begin their training at the CHESS Academy in Annapolis, VA, and eventually transfer to advanced training elsewhere (Violet trainees on the CHESS orbital platform, Green trainees go to the research facilities in Boston, etc).  While in training, cadets are able to take advantage of lectures from various veteran agents, superheroes, and the occasional reformed supervillain.

Orange

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Analysis, tactical planning, and relations with other agencies.  The go-betweens who coordinate efforts with the FBI, the CIA, civilian agencies, the military (with the exception of the Navy, which is generally handled by Blue division) and foreign superagencies and intelligence services.

Red

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High-level threats.  While CHESS was initially reluctant to allow superhumans into its ranks, the past decade has shown the need for a number to remain on call with the agency.  CHESS Red Agents are few in number, and the ones who do not have superpowers of some sort or another generally serve as liaisons to various government-controlled and government-funded teams.

Black

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The shady world of espionage and double-dealing.  While they supposedly act as nothing more than a clearinghouse for information received through dubious means (as the Secret Service has no charter to initiate operations abroad), it's an open secret that Black division employs a wide network of spies, undercover agents, and even assassins.

Notes:  The ideas of the chromatic scale and of the CHESS Queens being mecha were both from my friend Jeremy, who adapted the organization for use in a Champions campaign we played in.  I tweaked the operating charters of the various divisions on my own.  Also, I saw reference to a CHESS Black elsewhere on this site, but that's just a sign of great minds converging (As opposed to thinking alike.  My friend James quite correctly noted that only mediocre minds think "alike".)

Feedback and questions greatly appreciated.

A couple were made up on the spur of the moment, but the rest I've given some thought to.

I should note that while each division has a fair share of Pawns, Rooks, Knights, and Bishops, there is only one King.  I've decided not to bother with listing who it is, since it's up to the individual GM as to whether he or she would prefer an honorable, stand-up guy like Nick Fury, or a master Machiavellian manipulator (Lee-like alliteration!) like Amanda Waller.

White Bishop examples: Nick Fury (before he ran the joint), Agent Coulson.
Violet Bishop examples: Fox Mulder, Flash Gordon.
Indigo Bishop examples: Dale Cooper (Twin Peaks), John Constantine, The Ghostbusters.
Blue Bishop examples: The Sea Devils.
Green Bishop examples: Q, MacGyver.
Yellow Bishop examples: Can't think of any good examples right off.  Think Albus Dumbledore, only without the magic, and with more physical badassery.
Orange Bishop examples: Too boring to list.
Red Bishop examples: Captain America,  Henry Peter Gyrich.
Black Bishop examples: James Bond, The Black Widow.

EDIT:  These are NOT characters who actually belong to CHESS (I prefer to use original characters), but rather examples of character types who would be drawn to or assigned to the various divisions listed.  Use them as inspiration.

Great stuff!  I havent' got a chance to read through it all yet, but definitely plan to.

Thanks for sharing it! 

Fun typo alert: Violent Division!

Majestic wrote on Jan 22^nd, 2013 at 2:22pm:


Yeah, caught that a day later and said "Screw it, it's funny".

Very gratified that you enjoyed it so much.  The flavor text is some of the most fun stuff to write.  Unfortunately, I ran out of room, so I'm going to have add the other stuff later on.

Each division of CHESS is led by a Bishop who reports directly to the current King, Elizabeth Starkey.  These Head Bishops are unofficially known as "Cardinals" among the rank and file.  The following is a list of the major leaders in the organization.

King Rosa Velez:  Formerly the CHESS Bishop known as Marigold, Starkey comes from a working-class background.  Born in Phoenix, AZ to recent immigrants, Velez excelled in school, and joined the Army immediately after graduation, where she won several awards for valor.  She immediately joined the Secret Service upon leaving the military, and was recruited by CHESS White Division, where she rose rapidly through the ranks.  Making Bishop rank in her mid-20s, Velez proved herself in battle several times, though she received some criticism for occasionally being too narrowly focused on specific goals.  In 2002, she retired from field operations after she and her husband (Patriot-themed superhero Independence) had their first child.  She was immediately offered a position as second-in-command of White Division, and took over as Cardinal when her predecessor was killed during the Corellian invasion of 2005.  By 2010, with the retirement of the previous King, Velez was offered the top job at the agency, and took it with only minor reservations.

Velez has a reputation for being tough but fair, and is absolutely loyal to the agency.  She's a workaholic, but has been making some attempts to cut back on her office hours in order to spend more time with her daughter.  Her major obstacle in life is a tendency to see things in black and white terms, meaning that the negotiations and tradeoffs necessary to the running of a government agency don't come easily to her.

Velez's assistant is Walter Rayburn, her closest friend and former partner in the field.  Formerly a Black Division field agent code named "Slapdash", Rayburn was forced out of field duty when he lost his left arm to an attack by the supervillain Inferno.  The cybernetic replacement is arguably more effective (and certainly stronger) than his previous limb, but makes it impossible for him to be sent on undercover missions.

Red Head Bishop: Marcus O'Reilly.  O'Reilly grew up as a fan of superheroes, and when his childhood dreams of actually gaining superpowers didn't pan out, he did the next best thing and joined CHESS.  Unfortunately, he was in for disillusionment, as (despite a few exceptions), most of the superheroes he encountered were little like their comic book counterparts.  He developed a strong skepticism regarding superteams that were not affiliated with the government, a tendency that only grew over the course of his career.  Now the head of Red Division, O'Reilly (Former Code Name: Collector) tends to have good relations with superteams that submit to government control, but keeps a close eye on independent groups, carefully waiting for any slipup.  He maintains excellent relations with White Division as a result.

(More later.  Wife wants to hang out.  Priorities in order.)